Pirates 5, Astros 2: Happ gives up two homers as ERA rises to 5.72

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Tipping point: The Astros had their shot at a comeback from down 3-1 in the sixth when they led off with three straight singles. But Justin Maxwell hit into a forceout and Matt Downs hit into a double play, ending their final threat with a 3-2 deficit.

On the mound: J.A. Happ pulled into a tie with Atlanta’s Mike Minor for the most in the league when his eighth offering of the season left the yard. While Rhiner Cruz allowed both inherited runners to score, the relief work was mostly solid again.

At the plate: Jordan Schafer’s RBI double in the fifth inning proved to be the Astros’ only two-out hit the entire night to go with the 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. That combined with just one walk is why a team with a +2 in the hit column can be a -3 on the scoreboard.

Under the radar: A 1-0 win in the previous game can distract from the continuing concerns on offense. The Astros’ streak of six straight games scoring three or fewer runs is one short of the longest streak this year for any MLB team.

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PITTSBURGH — The Astros are trying so hard to remember the good times with J.A. Happ. His return from the minor leagues last year when he appeared to turn a corner.

The first few starts this year when he had shaken his walk problem and was putting up competitive numbers.

Yet they look up seven games into his season, and his ERA is even higher than it was at the end of a 2011 season interrupted by a trip to the minors.

It now reads 5.72 after Happ gave up five earned runs on six hits in five innings Saturday as the Astros lost to the offensively challenged Pirates 5-2 at PNC Park.

“We talked about his first three or four (starts) being very good — I know his first three,” manager Brad Mills said. “I know that right now we just want to get him on target to back to where he was his first couple of starts and get him progressing forward.”

So where do things continue to go wrong for the Astros lefty?

If you’re looking at the three true outcomes, the ones not influenced by defense, then you’re getting mixed signals. His walk rate, always problematic, has been down while his strikeout rate has been up — both good signs.

But baseballs are flying out of baseball parks at a rate that considerably exceeds last year’s. Whereas in 2011, Happ gave up a home run every 7.4 innings. Now tied for the league lead in home runs allowed with eight in 391⁄3 innings, that’s a home run every 4.9 innings.

And the home run was again his problem Saturday at a ballpark that should have been able to help with its deep alleys like it did Bud Norris the night before.

After the Pirates went up 1-0 on a Jose Tabata triple and ensuing Neil Walker sacrifice fly, runs 2 and 3 both scored on homers — the first by Andrew McCutchen as part of his 4-for-4 day, and the second by Tabata, which Happ thought would stay in the ballpark.

When Happ gave up a fourth extra-base hit, a double that ended Pedro Alvarez’s 0-for-22 slump, it was the end of his day, and Alvarez and McCutchen both scored as inherited runners under Rhiner Cruz’s watch.

“That’s another start that seems like it’s going along OK and then all of a sudden, whatever, infield hits start to click,” Happ said. “Then I leave a pitch up for a double to Alvarez. That was probably the worst pitch of the game. So that’s kind of where my frustration is.”

Pittsburgh’s five runs tied a season high at home for a team that averaged 2.3 runs per game in the spacious environs of the Allegheny’s North Shore.

But don’t put it all on the pitching. The Astros pulled within a run twice in that stretch, but Charlie Morton held them to two runs (one earned) in six innings, and the Pirates’ bullpen retired nine of its last 10 hitters to seal it.

The Astros’ best chance came in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with nobody out on singles by Jose Altuve, Carlos Lee and Brian Bogusevic. But they got only one run on a Justin Maxwell fielder’s choice as Matt Downs followed that by hitting into a double play, keeping it 3-2. The Astros finished 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

A frustrating night to say the least.

“I keep saying that,” Happ said. “It seems like it’s been happening a lot. But we didn’t do enough to win today.”